


Exposure

by LobsterLobster



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Din and Cara friendship, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Mandomera, Pining, just a hint of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 10:40:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28469934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LobsterLobster/pseuds/LobsterLobster
Summary: In which the Mandalorian has several close calls, and he hasn't even had breakfast yet.Missing scene from S1E4 Sanctuary
Relationships: Din Djarin & Cara Dune, Din Djarin & Grogu | Baby Yoda, Din Djarin/Omera
Comments: 7
Kudos: 77





	Exposure

The Mandalorian moved stealthily through the forest, following a narrow path. The sun was barely starting to lighten the sky by the time he got to the small clearing by the river’s edge. It was early enough that nobody else would be around. The child was still sleeping in his cradle back in the barn and wouldn’t wake for another hour or so.

Din stood still for a moment, listening to the water and the occasional birdsong. He removed his helmet and set it carefully on the ground, then his gun belt, then the rest of his armor. He always took the pieces off in the same order, laying them out the same way, so that he could put them back on quickly. He’d practiced the motions so many times that he could do it without thinking.

Finally, he pulled off his boots, then the rest of his clothes and laid them to the side. The silt along the side of the river tugged at his bare feet. He braced himself for the chill and waded into the water. He moved carefully so as not to slip on any rocks. The water was surprisingly clear and calm.

Din washed himself methodically with a bar of soap that one of the villagers had dropped of for him and the child. He didn’t enjoy feeling so exposed without his armor, but he had to admit there was something very refreshing about bathing outside, surrounded by untouched nature. He was accustomed to using one of the hygiene packs stashed on the Razor Crest. In his line of work, washing with actual water was a rare luxury.

He counted to three before ducking under the water. It was still a shock how cold it was. He washed his hair as best he could, making a mental note to cut it short again one of these days.

Next, he set about washing his clothes. The pants and long sleeve shirt that he wore under his armor were made from a special material that repelled moisture and dirt. As long as he didn’t do anything extreme, like fighting a mudhorn, then they only needed a quick rinse once in a while and didn’t take long to dry. By the time Din was on the last item, his socks, which he did need to replace soon, he expected his pants to be nearly dry.

There was a noise that sounded alarmingly like a footstep. Din froze. There was another footstep, then a sharp intake of breath. Din straightened up and spun around. He spotted what was unmistakably the back of Cara Dune’s head right as she disappeared behind a tree, heading into the forest.

Din cursed under his breath. He rushed to get dressed and replace his armor, heart pounding in his chest, forcing himself to move with care so that he didn’t miss anything. It took him almost three minutes, far from his record, to be fully armored again.

He took off running, ignoring the way his feet squished in his wet socks with every step. He was almost halfway back to the village when he spotted Cara. She glanced back and stopped to wait for him. He slowed to a walk and had nearly caught his breath by the time he caught up to her.

“What were you doing back there?” He tried to sound calm.

“I was checking my traps,” Cara held up a small mammal that she had caught. Din started to relax. Still, he had to ask.

“Did you…see anything?”

Cara let out a long whistle. “Oh, I saw a lot more than I had bargained for this morning. A _lot_ more.”

Din felt his chest tighten. “Did you see…my face?”

“Let’s just say, I saw everything. And I mean _everything_ ,” Cara made a big circular gesture.

Pure panic spiked through his body. His vision clouded over for a moment. But then he noticed that Cara was smirking with barely contained laughter.

“You’re lying,” he choked out. The relief was dizzying. “You didn’t see anything.”

He started to turn away but Cara said, “Yes, I did!”

Din had ice in his voice, “Then tell me exactly what you saw.”

Cara was openly grinning now, “You have a long, jagged scar on your left cheek.”

Din was confused for two seconds and then he sighed, “Oh. You mean _those_ cheeks.” Cara couldn’t contain her laughter anymore.

“You’re not funny,” he said. He turned and walked away.

“Aw, come on, admit it’s a little bit funny!” Cara called after him. He ignored her, picked up his pace. He heard her following behind him.

After a few minutes of this she called out, “Hey! Wait!” He stopped but didn’t look at her. She stepped around him and planted herself right in his field of vision. “Look, I didn’t see your face. I didn’t even see the back of your head. You were bent over and all I saw was your backside. I swear.”

She sighed, added in an only slightly exasperated tone, “I’m sorry for giving you a hard time. Now, can you stop glaring at me like that?”

“I’m not glaring,” Din lied. He started walking again.

“All I’m saying is, there’s gotta be a good backstory for that,” Cara said, walking by his side.

“For what?”

“That scar,” she glanced down and then back up, smirking again.

“None of your business,” Din said curtly.

“Fine, fine,” Cara put up her hands in surrender. Din ignored her for a few minutes. 

Cara sighed loudly. “I know we’re supposed to be laying low, and this is a nice place and all, but it sure makes me a little stir crazy.”

Din said nothing. They walked in silence the rest of the way back to the village. She did have a point though. Sitting still was difficult for him too. And he should have known she wouldn’t be mean enough to tease him like that if she’d actually seen his face.

“It was a loth cat,” he said.

“What was?” Cara blinked, evidently lost in her own thoughts.

“That scar. It was a loth cat.”

Cara grinned, “Oh, now you have to tell the story!”

Din shrugged. “There’s not much to tell. I was a kid. I thought it would be friendly. I was wrong.”

Cara laughed out loud.

“It’s not that funny. I couldn’t sit down for a month.”

Cara only laughed harder. She had to wipe a stray tear from her eye. Din watched her, smiling behind his helmet. He realized that she was probably the closest thing he’d had to a real friend in years.

Then Cara spotted someone walking through the krill ponds near them. She waved and called out, “Omera! Come here! You have to hear this!”

Din turned towards Cara sharply, “Don’t you dare.”

Cara smiled at him innocently. Omera was approaching them. Her long hair fell over her shoulders and her cheeks were flushed from the morning chill. She was almost within earshot.

Din made his voice low, threatening, “Cara Dune. I will push you in this pond.”

Cara didn’t even flinch. Din was seriously reevaluating their friendship. Omera stopped in front of them, curious. “What is it?”

Din held his breath. He raised one hand, ready to shove Cara.

“Last night I had a dream about this special stew my grandmother used to make, back home. Then this morning I checked my traps and guess what?” Cara held up her catch, “It’s not the same animal, of course. But it looks similar enough.”

Omera smiled. “Wonderful! I’ll bring it to the kitchens. Thank you.”

Cara handed the animal over then excused herself to go check the rest of her traps on the other side of the village. Her hunting routine was partially a way to repay the villagers for their hospitality and partially a cover for security patrols. As she left, she shot one last smirk at Din over her shoulder.

Then Din was left standing in front of Omera. His hair was still soaking wet and the water was now dripping into his eyes. He blinked a few times, which didn’t help much. He shook his head to the side but that only made it worse, so he went back to blinking.

He realized Omera was looking at him with a concerned expression. He’d done something awkward again. Wonderful.

“Did you go for a swim?” she asked, a hint of amusement in her eyes. There was something soft about the way she looked at him. She was always smiling, or looking at him with genuine concern, not a hint of judgement or fear. It was disorienting, every single time.

“What?” was all he could think to say.

“Your cloak. It’s dripping wet!” Omera said. She stepped closer and leaned over to pick up the edge of his cloak. It was heavy with water.

“Oh. I washed it,” Din said. He hated how his words always came out stilted.

“I can hang it out to dry. There’s an empty clothes line beside my house,” she said.

There was definitely water in his ear. He could feel it sloshing around. He barely suppressed the impulse to shake his head to the side.

“Here, let me help,” Omera said when he didn’t respond, reaching up to where the fabric was attached near his shoulders.

To Din’s surprise, he didn’t move to stop her. From this close, he could see the small freckles on her cheeks and the faint smile lines at the edges of her eyes. She pulled on the fabric and her fingers brushed against his neck. Din flinched.

“I got it,” he said quickly, raising his hands to finish pulling the cloak loose. Omera took a half step back. She was still standing a tad closer than was strictly necessary. He clumsily folded the fabric up in his arms and let her take it from him.

“You don’t have to do that,” he said, a little belatedly. He shouldn’t be letting her do his chores for him.

“I don’t mind. I’m headed back that way anyway,” Omera smiled at him.

“Thank you,” Din said. It gave him an excuse to stop by her house later. He could go after dinner, when he knew she liked to sit out on the steps chatting with neighbors. He could bring the kid and let him play with her daughter. Then he wouldn’t have to talk. He could sit next to her and watch the kids playing. That would be nice.

For a moment he stood there, watching her walk through the ponds and towards her house. With each step she took, his heart sunk a little further. He knew it was dangerous, thinking about her that way, wanting something that he couldn’t have. The child might fit in here but he didn’t. He would wait until she was asleep and go to get his cloak then.

Back in the barn, Din leaned over the crib, rocking the edge a little. The child was sound asleep. Din stood still for a moment, watching him. The door was closed and he didn’t hear anyone nearby.

Din removed his helmet and set it carefully down on the window ledge. He grabbed a spare cloth and rubbed it vigorously over his head, pausing only to try and shake the water out of his ear. He flipped the cloth around to find a section that was still a little dry, then pressed it against his face, let out a long sigh. He bent his head forward and went back to drying his hair.

He was almost finished when he felt something tug on his left boot. Din froze. He didn’t have to look to know exactly what that was. In one smooth motion he whipped the cloth from over his head and dropped it onto the kid.

The cloth covered the kid completely. Din grabbed his helmet and put it on. He looked down again to see the kid had fallen over and there were faint cries of distress coming from under the cloth. Din knelt down.

“Sorry about that, kid,” he said, setting the kid on his feet and pulling the cloth away.

The kid’s face immediately lit up when he saw Din. His ears perked up and he made one of his happy cooing sounds. Din couldn’t help smiling behind his helmet.

On impulse, Din put the cloth over the kid again, gently this time. There were confused sounding squeaks as he struggled to move his little hands. Then Din pulled the cloth away again. The kid had the same reaction, instantly perking up and cooing at Din.

Din let out a low laugh and was struck by how odd it felt. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually laughed.

He repeated the game one more time before picking up the kid, saying, “Come on, buddy, let’s find you some breakfast.”

…………………..

The End!


End file.
